How To Build Muscle Mass In Just Weeks
Admittedly, it will take a little longer than just weeks for you to look like Arnie, but, once you know how to build muscle, you can pack on a surprising amount of lean muscle mass within just the first few weeks; and you’ll notice the difference.
When you first start out on your quest to build muscle, it happens very quickly in the beginning. That is because your muscles aren’t used to the rigors they are being put under, so it’s perfectly possible to put an inch on your arms in, say, a month.
Building muscle all comes down 3 things:
- Progressive resistance/intensity training.
- Sufficient nutrients to sustain muscle growth. (Food/Vitamins)
- Rest.
In this article, I aim to give you a quick start guide to get you started. You’ll then need to research in more detail for a program that suits your needs and goals.
Progressive resistance/intensity training
If you did the same thing week in week out, you won’t grow. You need to progressively add weight to the bar; and/or reduce the amount of rest you take between sets, and/or increase the amount of reps or sets you do. For now, I’d simply stick with adding weight to the bar, which is the most important intensity factor.
While you should train intensely, you should always stick with the guidelines of a good program so you don’t over train. I would advise going for a program which has anywhere between 3-5 sets, of 5-12 reps, training for no more than 4 days a week, preferably with rest days after each session. Training should last no more than one hour a time.
Sufficient nutrients to sustain muscle growth
Everybody is different, so it would be impossible for me to state unequivocally that you must eat X amount of X per day to build muscle. You’ll know if it’s enough or not, because you’ll put on weight. So, to start with, I would suggest eating 15 calories per lb of bodyweight, plus 500 extra, a day. Also, aim for 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight a day, and include plenty of complex carbs, such as brown rice, pasta, and potatoes. Also, don’t neglect good fats so as fish oil.
A good ratio to make up your total calories should be around 40/40/20; protein, carbs, and fats respectively. If you put weight on, obviously, it’s working. But in time you’ll need to increase your calorie intake, don’t forget.
I would also recommend taking a good multivitamin with iron daily, just to ensure you aren’t lacking any nutrients. This kind of intense training can really put a huge demand on your system and drain you of essential vitamins and minerals, so ensure you aren’t lacking by supplementing.
Rest
Well, this one is easy. When you’ve fatigued your body, you need to rest. This means, don’t go running, or playing sports; this will lead to overtraining, and scupper muscle growth. You should also aim to sleep for 8 hours every night, which is optimal for muscle growth.
So there you have it: a quick and dirty overview of how to build muscle mass. Like I say, you’ll need to research in more detail before you begin, but this should be enough to guide you in the right direction.
